Witchcraft basics

Cartomancy

Happy new years Eve! This morning I decided to do a new years spread. The card I got for December of 2021 was the 5 of Hearts, meaning next year will end with a bang. The 5 of Hearts is the Warrior's Triumph, which means victory. So next year will end amazingly (in the system I use it means that. I didn't put the system I use in this chapter. But I did mention the book that my system comes from)

Cartomancy is divination with a deck of cards. I am only going to focus on classic playing cards (Spades, Diamonds, Clubs, and Hearts) though instead of the other forms, like tarot or oracle or lenormand

Cards were originally invented for divination (this is very controversial. Not all sources will agree on this), so it's no surprise that playing cards can be used for divination. Playing cards have been used for divination for centuries, the earliest record of them was in the 9th century (the 800s).

The meaning of playing cards have changed over time. The modern interpretations for playing cards have changed from the original, the same way the interpretations for tarot has changed over the centuries.

Playing cards are a great form of divination for those in the broom closet because people will probably think you're playing a game of solitaire.

You can read playing cards like they are tarot cards, where each card has a set meaning that doesn't really change that much, or you can interpret them like lenormand cards where the meaning on a card changes depending on what cards are next to them.

If you plan to read them like tarot, here's a quick cheat sheet on what cards correspond to tarot cards

The Fool- Joker

Pentacles- Diamonds

Wands- Clubs

Cups- Hearts

Swords- Spades

Knights/Pages (depending on your intuition)- Jacks

This is not the only way to read cards. In fact this is a pretty modern and recent way to interpret them. Lot's of people think this is the only way to read playing cards because they think that playing cards are just tarot without the major arcana. However up until recently they were never used like that. Here's a break down of some other things you can use to interpret the cards.

Spades

Clear thinking, communication, powerful, intense, demanding, controlling, secretive, possessive, charming, mysterious, calculating, detached

Element: Air

Hearts

Feelings, emotions, relationships, emotional, creative, romantic, compassionate, generous, sensitive, nurturing, dependable, protective, moody

Element: Water

Diamonds

Practicalities, the material world, independent, extravagant, impulsive, impatient, optimistic, dynamic, restless, analytical, intelligent, high strung

Element: Earth

Clubs

Creativity, action, practical, friendly, reliable, trustworthy, helpful, ambitious, enthusiastic, sensible, stable, stubborn

Element: Fire

Numbers

Ace- beginnings, opportunities

Two- balance cooperation, partners

Three- connection, sharing

Four- stability, strong foundation